Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-09-05
THAT CANAL CONVENTION.
Meeting at Peoria---Letters from
Hamburg and Others.

Governor Oglesby will Attend the
Meeting at Peoria--Letters from
Hamburg and Others.
Peoria is sending out invitations to
various men of note throughout the coun-
try to attend the canal convention. to be,
held in that city October 10th and 18th,
and appended are some of the answers
received. Gov. Oglesby writes:
SPRINGFIELD, Aug. 80, 1887.
Hon. Isaac TAYLOR. Chairman Com
mittee, &c, Peoria, Ills.-Dear Sir: I
have the honor to accept the invitation
extended to me by the Illinois river COM
mittee to attend the convention to be held
in Peoria on October 18th next The
subject is, Of course, an interesting one
to me. and | shall be much gratified if
the public of our state can be brought to
take a renewed interest in the great i'm
provement. II has always seemed to me
that the people of the United States would
sooner or later come to realize the impor>
lance and utility of the substantially IN
interrupted flow of waters of Lake Mich
igan into the Mississippi river aud Gulf
of Mexico. National defense, commerce
the general welfare, and public health,
all unite in nationally demanding the
early completion of this great waterway.
| will attend the convention.
Yours respectfully,
r. j. OGLEsBY.
Engineer Hamburg, whose reports were
instrumental in delaying the Hennepin
passage. has sent the following commun-
iCatlon:
U. S ENGINEERS OFFICE,
CHICAGO, ILL.,. Aug. 81, 81. /
Hon ISAAC TAYLOR, Peoria, Ill.
Dear Sir-Your note of yesterday
came to hand this morning Just as | was
about to write to you on the subject OF
which it treats have to thank you for
your kind invitation to take part in your
proceedings. | cannot say at this time
whether | will be able to be present or
not, but be assured that will do all that
/ can TO help the matter along. | am
pleased to see that YOU are inviting dele
gates from other states. This is not
Ibtdl hHhlt. ITS tuGClo anu btuIhts VIII
reach far beyond the limits of the state of
Illinois. Itwould be good policy ! think
for YOUR committee to make special effort
and remove all color of localism by get
ting delegates from the various boards OF
trade and commerce in the Mississippi
valley and cities auxiliary TO the lakes.
New Orleans, Memphis, St. Louis, Kan
sas City, Chicago, Milwaukee. and Duluth
are all directly interested in this improve
ment as moments thought and ,cousid-
GRAFTON Of the general map of theicountry
will show Ny own idea is that if the
matter can be properly placed before
congress solely on its own merits, unin-
numbered by tricks of politicians or 9TH
er schemes for Improvements that have
been forced upon the attention of that
body out of their proper order and be-
fore their proper time, and treated in
statesman-like manner, there will be no
difficulty in getting all the legislation and
friends necessary TO carry it through.
The problem should appear not as a'ship
canal That term is suggestive of all
SORTS of schemes that have covered the
country from one end TO the other-but
as a continuation of the improvement of
the Illinois river to Lake Michigan.
This project the United States and the
state of Illinois have been committed TO
for years. This convention, as under
stand it, is only to call attention to this
fact, and to emphasize the necessity for
pushing the work to an early completion.
lSigned) THOMAS H. HASBURY.
J. B. Brown, president or the South
Chicago Dock company, has written a
long winded article to Chairman Taylor,
and see the drive he attempts to give the
Hennepin:
If this convention can hold itself
strictly to the one object of procuring +
waterway from the lakes to the Missls-
sippi by the most natural and feasible
route, as determined by the engineer de,
partmeut, keeping itself clear from local
ssues Chat is allowing no local issue tC
attach itself to il it will doubtless re-
ceIve the support of the government By
reason of the advantages it would afford
from a naval and military standpoint
and would receive aid from the represen
tatives of states bordering on the lakes
and on the Mississippi, by reason of tbs
commercial advantages it would bring tC
them. shall be glad to learn the view
Of the callers of this convention upon tn,
topics touched upon. that We may know
how far our views coincide.